The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities
Founded in 2016, The Guild network brings together more than twenty of the most prestigious european research-intensive universities from sixteen countries. The members have established a distinct voice aiming to further research, create innovation for public benefit, and enrich public debate at European and national levels. The network is committed to sharing knowledge, experience and best practices to cultivate excellence in research and in higher education.

Université Paris Cité joined the network in 2019 following the merger of its founding universities, Paris Diderot and Paris Descates and the integration of the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) as a component insitution.
Objectives
The Guild has two main objectives: advocacy and networking. Advocacy is the active and committed support to defend the interests and ideas within the academic sector. With an office in proximity to the European Commission, the Guild aims to participate and engage with policy-makers, enhance public debate, promote excellence in higher education and collaborate with private and public institutions to solve global problems. One of the ways in which the Guild works is by publishing “position papers” to influence stakeholders within the European Commission.
Mission
The network’s mission is to support academic communities and ensure that EU policy decisions are based on evidence and outstanding research.
The Guild’s activities are built around four key core pillars :
- Policy advocacy in research, education and innovation
- Thought Leadership initiatives
- Institutional strengthening and best practice sharing
- Academic collaboration
Capacity Building across Europe
The Guild works closely with the European Commission, European and national parliamentarians, officials and other stakeholders to achieve strategic and effective outcomes that will benefit Europe’s multiple communities.
The network provides a platform which enables :
- to engage with policy-makers in the European Commission
- to promote research collaboration and access to EU funding
- to collaborate with universities, both private and public institutions in order to pursue the free movement of students, staff and ideas at the European level
The Members
The Guild comprises :
Aarhus University, (Denmark), Babeș-Bolyai University, (Roumania), The University of Bern, (Switzerland), University of Bologna, (Italy), Ghent University, (Belgium), The University of Glasgow, (Scotland), The University of Göttingen, (Germany), The University of Groningen, (The Netherlands) Jagiellonian University, (Poland), King’s College London, (United Kingdom), The University of Louvain, (Belgium), The University of Ljubljana, (Slovenia), The University of Oslo, (Norway), Université Paris Cité, (France), Pompeu Fabra University, (Spain), Radboud University, (The Netherlands), The University of Tartu, (Estonia), The University of Tübingen, (Germany), Uppsala University, (Sweden) The University of Vienna, (Austria), and The University of Warwick, (United Kingdom).
Key figures
- 21 members
- 10 « position papers », especially for the European Commission
- 96 media features
- 132 meetings with policy makers and key influencers
(source : The Guild)
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